Daphne Palasi Andreades

‘Brown Girls flows like a late night FM-radio dedication to the crew, the block, and the mission. This book’s a gift’ Paul Beatty, author of The Sellout ‘An ode to girlhood’ Raven Leilani, author of Luster A fiercely poetic coming-of-age novel following a group of young women of colour in Queens, New York. Brown Girls dives deep into the lives of a group of young women of colour growing up in Queens, New York. Here, streets echo with many languages, subways rumble above dollar stores and the briny scent of the ocean wafts in from Rockaway Beach. Here, girls like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and many others, struggle to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture they come of age in. Here, they become friends for life. Or so they vow. Brown Girls is a blazingly original, sweeping debut novel told by an unforgettable chorus of voices. ‘Joyous, bittersweet, hilarious … a coming of age story for us all’ Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby ‘Infectious … holds worlds within its pages’ Guardian ‘Gorgeous … incredibly moving’ Independent ‘If you liked LUSTER try BROWN GIRLS’ Sunday Times Style ‘A cracker of a first novel’ Glamour ‘Transporting … not to be missed’ Stylist ‘A daring debut … fearless’ New York Times SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTRE FOR FICTION 2022 FIRST NOVEL PRIZE ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, GUARDIAN, INDEPENDENT, GLAMOUR, STYLIST, INEWS, SUNDAY TIMES STYLE, LITERARY FRICTION PODCAST AND MORE.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE - A "boisterous and infectious debut novel" (The Guardian) about a group of friends and their immigrant families from Queens, New York--a tenderly observed, fiercely poetic love letter to a modern generation of brown girls. "An acute study of those tender moments of becoming, this is an ode to girlhood, inheritance, and the good trouble the body yields."--Raven Leilani, author of Luster FINALIST: The New American Voices Award, The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, The VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, The New American Voices Award, The Center for Fiction First Novel PrizeONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Kirkus Reviews If you really want to know, we are the color of 7-Eleven root beer. The color of sand at Rockaway Beach when it blisters the bottoms of our feet. Color of soil . . . Welcome to Queens, New York, where streets echo with languages from all over the globe, subways rumble above dollar stores, trees bloom and topple over sidewalks, and the funky scent of the Atlantic Ocean wafts in from Rockaway Beach. Within one of New York City's most vibrant and eclectic boroughs, young women of color like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and countless others, attempt to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture in which they come of age. Here, they become friends for life--or so they vow. Exuberant and wild, together they roam The City That Never Sleeps, sing Mariah Carey at the tops of their lungs, yearn for crushes who pay them no mind--and break the hearts of those who do--all while trying to heed their mothers' commands to be obedient daughters. But as they age, their paths diverge and rifts form between them, as some choose to remain on familiar streets, while others find themselves ascending in the world, beckoned by existences foreign and seemingly at odds with their humble roots. A blazingly original debut novel told by a chorus of unforgettable voices, Brown Girls illustrates a collective portrait of childhood, adulthood, and beyond, and is a striking exploration of female friendship, a powerful depiction of women of color attempting to forge their place in the world today. For even as the conflicting desires of ambition and loyalty, freedom and commitment, adventure and stability risk dividing them, it is to one another--and to Queens--that the girls ultimately return.

‘Brown Girls flows like a late night FM-radio dedication to the crew, the block, and the mission. This book’s a gift’ Paul Beatty, author of The Sellout ‘An ode to girlhood’ Raven Leilani, author of Luster A fiercely poetic coming-of-age novel following a group of young women of colour in Queens, New York. If you really want to know, we are the colour of 7-Eleven root beer. Colour of the charcoal pencil our sisters use to rim their eyes. Colour of peanut butter. Brown Girls dives deep into the lives of a group of young women of colour growing up in Queens, New York. Here, streets echo with many languages, subways rumble above dollar stores and the briny scent of the ocean wafts in from Rockaway Beach. Here, girls like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and many others, struggle to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture they come of age in. Here, they become friends for life. Or so they vow. In this bold debut told in a uniquely lyrical voice, Daphne Palasi Andreades paints a stunning collective portrait of the journey from girlhood to adulthood, set against a backdrop of race, class, and marginalisation in America today. Brown Girls is an unforgettable love letter to women of colour everywhere from a daring new writer. ‘Joyous, bittersweet, hilarious … a coming of age story for us all’ Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby ‘A song of celebration, of mourning, of rage, of fierce living’ Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days ‘If you liked LUSTER try BROWN GIRLS’ Sunday Times Style ‘Attracting huge amounts of buzz … a lyrical, urgent voice’ ipaper, Ten best books to read in 2022 ‘A cracker of a first novel’ Glamour ‘A sensation in the US’ Guardian ‘Transporting … not to be missed’ Stylist ‘A daring debut … fearless’ New York Times SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTRE FOR FICTION 2022 FIRST NOVEL PRIZE ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, GUARDIAN, INDEPENDENT, GLAMOUR, STYLIST, INEWS, SUNDAY TIMES STYLE, LITERARY FRICTION PODCAST AND MORE.

'Brown Girls flows like a late night FM-radio dedication to the crew, the block, and the mission. This book's a gift' Paul Beatty, author of The Sellout'An ode to girlhood' Raven Leilani, author of LusterA fiercely poetic coming-of-age novel following a group of young women of colour in Queens, New York.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE - A "boisterous and infectious debut novel" (The Guardian) about a group of friends and their immigrant families from Queens, New York--a tenderly observed, fiercely poetic love letter to a modern generation of brown girls. "An acute study of those tender moments of becoming, this is an ode to girlhood, inheritance, and the good trouble the body yields."--Raven Leilani, author of Luster FINALIST FOR THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD - FINALIST FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Kirkus Reviews If you really want to know, we are the color of 7-Eleven root beer. The color of sand at Rockaway Beach when it blisters the bottoms of our feet. Color of soil . . . Welcome to Queens, New York, where streets echo with languages from all over the globe, subways rumble above dollar stores, trees bloom and topple over sidewalks, and the funky scent of the Atlantic Ocean wafts in from Rockaway Beach. Within one of New York City's most vibrant and eclectic boroughs, young women of color like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and countless others, attempt to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture in which they come of age. Here, they become friends for life--or so they vow. Exuberant and wild, together they roam The City That Never Sleeps, sing Mariah Carey at the tops of their lungs, yearn for crushes who pay them no mind--and break the hearts of those who do--all while trying to heed their mothers' commands to be obedient daughters. But as they age, their paths diverge and rifts form between them, as some choose to remain on familiar streets, while others find themselves ascending in the world, beckoned by existences foreign and seemingly at odds with their humble roots. A blazingly original debut novel told by a chorus of unforgettable voices, Brown Girls illustrates a collective portrait of childhood, adulthood, and beyond, and is a striking exploration of female friendship, a powerful depiction of women of color attempting to forge their place in the world today. For even as the conflicting desires of ambition and loyalty, freedom and commitment, adventure and stability risk dividing them, it is to one another--and to Queens--that the girls ultimately return.